Our last morning on this beautiful island of Oahu. Our flight back to the mainland was not until after noon so we had the whole morning to spend at Pearl Harbor. Well, we thought that 1 morning would be enough. It turned out that you would need to spend the whole day there if you wanted to tour everything. We were only able to go to 2 spots - the USS Arizona memorial & the USS Bowfin.

The USS Bowfin is an actual submarine. We were able to tour inside and it is amazing how the crew could live in such cramped conditions for months on end. Defintely not a place for the claustrophobic. This particular submarine was actually one of the lucky ones because there were 52 submarines that were lost at sea during WWII. Imagine that! 52!! There were actually markers for each of these lost submarines with the names of everyone on board. They are now on eternal patrol at sea. Sigh...so sad the loss of lives.

The USS Arizona memorial, on the other hand, sits atop the actual battleship that was sunk during the war. They were not able to dredge it out of the water anymore. Oil continue to seep out of it, even after almost 60 years since the attack. Imagine that!

We would've wanted to explore more of the museum. The battleship Missouri was docked there too and open for tours but we just did not have time anymore. We hurriedly went back to our hotel and checked out and continued on to return our rental car.

All in all, our Hawaii trip was awesome! I enjoyed spending time with DH and I think it is safe to say that he enjoyed spending time with me too. The whole trip was relatively stress-free although I do wish that we had stayed longer so that we could've taken our time more instead of zipping through our activities. There were a few harried moments but none that made me pull my hair out and maybe get a prescription for hair loss (procerin). It was a very special time and I feel truly blessed to have been able to do this with him. Hawaii was beautiful. It actually felt a little like home (Philippines). The people were friendly and hospitable. Even the food seemed familiar. Spam, rice & eggs at McDonalds...that's kinda like a taste of home. :)

So that was our vacation. I wonder when and where the next one will be...I hope it does not take another 10 years before we get to do this again.

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America's oldest living Medal of Honor recipient, living his 101st year is former enlisted Chief Petty Officer, Aviation Chief Ordnanceman (ACOM), later wartime commissioned Lieutenant John W. Finn, U. S. Navy (Ret.). He is also the last surviving Medal of Honor, "The Day of Infamy", Japanese Attack on the Hawaiian Islands, Naval Air Station, Kaneohe Bay, Oahu, Territory of Hawaii, 7 December 1941.

(Now deceased) 'Navy Centenarian Sailor', 103 year old, former enlisted Chief Petty Officer, Aviation Chief Radioman (ACRM, Combat Aircrewman), later wartime commissioned Chief Warrant Officer Julio 'Jay' Ereneta, U. S. Navy (Ret.), is a thirty year career veteran of World War One and World War Two. He first flew aircrewman in August 1922; flew rearseat Radioman/Gunner (1920s/1930s) in the tactical air squadrons of the Navy's first aircraft carriers, USS LANGLEY (CV-1) and USS LEXINGTON (CV-2).

Visit my photo album tribute to these centenarian veteran shipmates and other Pearl Harbor Survivors: